Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
St. Mary's County commissioner warns of a difficult budget year, schedules 1:30 p.m. work session
Summary
An unnamed St. Mary's County commissioner said officials expect a challenging budget year because of federal and state funding uncertainty and scheduled a 1:30 p.m. budget work session to hear department requests.
An unnamed county commissioner said Friday that St. Mary's County faces a “very difficult budget year” and urged patience as officials gather information ahead of a 1:30 p.m. budget work session to hear department requests.
The commissioner said federal and state funding uncertainty — including recent federal job cuts and a state shortfall — have left county leaders unable to make firm budget promises. “This has been gonna be a very difficult budget year,” the commissioner said. “We have a general idea what our budget is normally, but then not knowing exact cuts that we're gonna be receiving … we're making some guesses.”
The commissioner said the county’s chief financial officer is providing available data to help commissioners and staff prepare. “Our CFO is doing best she can to, bring us good information downstairs here to us,” the commissioner said, adding that the board will listen to “all of our county agencies and … directors” during the work session.
The speaker cited broader federal and state processes as complicating local planning. The commissioner noted concern about a possible federal government shutdown and its local effects: “We do hope the federal government will not close-up on the fourteenth, but, it it could.” The speaker also said the state is facing a budget shortfall and that some programs traditionally funded by the state may be pushed down to counties, forcing local funding decisions.
The commissioner emphasized the difficulty of forecasting revenue and mentioned officials are watching for potential new fees from higher levels of government while county leaders continue to seek ways to provide services without raising local taxes. “They keep promising they're not gonna raise any taxes, but they're gonna charge a lot of fees. To me, tax and fee are just the same,” the commissioner said.
No formal budget actions were recorded in the remarks. The county intends to use the afternoon work session to hear department requests and gather information; the commissioner did not state any specific budget cuts, dollar amounts, or votes. The remarks were presented as an update and a preview of the upcoming departmental presentations and do not constitute a binding decision.
The county will meet at 1:30 p.m. for the budget work session to hear departmental needs and continue preparing a budget in light of federal and state uncertainties.
